I feel like I have to keep speaking on this. Maybe one day it will actually happen. But if we hold our breath we will surely all die.
Accountability is the obligation to explain, justify, and take ownership of your actions, decisions, and outcomes.
In medieval times when kings overstepped their bounds or imposed ruinous taxation, powerful nobles used armed rebellion to force compliance or outright depose the ruler. Obviously, that isnt how we handle things in the 21st century. So...
How do we hold our city officials accountable?
Do we point out every flaw they make?
Do we watch there every move?
Do we micromanage them?
Or
Do I just write a stupid blog explaining the truth behind everything they do?
The key word to solve most of the problems associated with accountability is transparency.
Transparency is the quality of being clear, open, and honest. In business, governance, and daily communication, it means operating without hidden agendas and sharing information in a way that allows others to see exactly how and why decisions are made.
Why is this so difficult for these elected officials?
The citizens have the right to know how their tax money is being spent. Why it is being spent and what are the benefits of the spending.
We get nothing. The issue is no one has ever made a platform like this blog to vent out your frustrations anonymously and uncensored to your leaders. This is an important process in holding our officials accountable.
Here is a perfect example:
Remember the mayor stating he would fix the potholes in the city? He said you could call the streets department and complain about a pothole in the street.
Has anyone done it? If so, did anyone come out and fix it?
Whats the point of calling if nothing gets done? If they do come out is this the result?
I wont even blame the street department since they just follow orders.
If these people want to sit at council meetings or in public settings and know people dont trust or believe anything they say and throw up smokeshields to mask the truth, you do you Boo. The truth cannot live where lies are. If accurate numbers and facts cannot be disclosed along with pertinent information during decision making time how can anyone be trusted?
Bottom line. People want to see action to the statements and promises officials blow up our asses. People want the truth. They want to feel included. People can handle the truth and get past it over time even if they don't like it at first. It is lies and deception that never heal.
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6 comments:
I’m going to offend many with this comment, and I take no joy in speaking ill of the dead, BUT…
If the city had a competent controller, we’d already have the answers you’re looking for on the Mayor’s travel.
Most of these trips were well before Jeff Glazier’s unfortunate passing. The documentation could have EASILY been obtained, scanned and posted by the Controller on the city website for all to see.
But it wasn’t done because once again that position was filled with a political insider who saw his job as being there to protect the administration instead of serving the taxpayers.
Yes, he was an amiable guy and was loved by everyone in City Hall. But that is exactly what you DON’T want in a controller. The controller needs to be professional, impartial, and, above all else, independent of those in city government. They should serve the taxpayers, not politicians
I say all this not to demean Mr. Glazier but to wake people up. The Mayor and City Council will try to put another ally in the controller’s office. They don’t want the truth to come out, as they are all complicit in hiding what’s going on. They will certainly try to use Mr. Glazier as the standard to which the next controller should live up to.
But that only serves them, not the people of the city. We need to demand better.
Mayor McPronoun has rainbows shining from his ass and glazier was a powlowski appointee selling his business to Clark so he could escape support payments. Just what was needed in the position at the time and also presently. These assKlowns are using federal subsidies as there cash cow literally while they themselves slop in the pig stye that has become of allentown pa via California donors. From here to there and back again washes the monies stolen from the feds on a local level, only the blind and ignorant can't see the writing on the wall.
At this point, the rot that is the City of Allentown administration and its product is obvious for all to see. Hardworking, taxpayer-type, residents of the greater Lehigh Valley Area have generally decided to avoid doing business and spending time within Allentown. They have too many better alternatives to occupy themselves with outside Allentown city limits.
I am one of many former Allentown residents, and have no regrets in leaving it all behind. Those still living there really need to “knuckle down” and do the hard work of cleaning up that situation. It won’t be easy and will take a decade or more for progress to be generally recognized. Can it happen? Yes. Will it happen? I’m 75 years old, so I’ll just answer “Not in my lifetime.” Sorry.
Glazier wasn’t liked by many employees. Sorry, it is the hard truth. In fact the mayor was routinely heard talking negatively about the Controller. Of course Tuerk thinks everyone is beneath him.
The issue with the controller’s office is that they stick to easy work so they have available free time so they can be out walking their dogs or going on the 7th vacation for the year. A true audit takes time and they don’t need any interference.
I'd say that in Pennsylvania's most progressive municipality, the citizens should just place their trust in elected officials and not worry about transparency and accountability. In a perfect utopian government like Allentown, Ana Tiburcio can be appointed Controller and there's no reason to worry, citizens can just trust the government to carefully spend tax dollars and then raise the taxes annually if they run out of money.
But it’s not even an “audit” that’s needed. The controller, and anyone in his office, should have full access to the city’s accounting system so they should be able to see the expenditures in question.
The city also has rules requiring supporting documentation for expenditures. This should already be on file with the Finance Office.
If the Mayor isn’t providing that documentation in accordance with the rules, the Controller should report it publicly to Council that he is being blocked from doing his job.
If there is a loophole in the law that allows the mayor to withhold the information, a competent Controller would let City Council - and the public - know that the law needs to be strengthened.
It’s really Basic Government 101, a class that was apparently skipped by those in Allentown City Hall.
By the way, if the required information isn’t being submitted by the Mayor, then either the Finance Office or the Controller (I’m not sure which; maybe both can do this) should stop the reimbursement check from being issued. If the expenditures were paid with a city credit card, they should confiscate that card until documentation is provided.
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